‘Backstage’ spaces deserve more attention
A US design expert says the behind-the-scenes areas of healthcare facilities can promote better professional communication.
The ‘backstage’ areas in healthcare facilities are a hidden resource that deserve more attention, according to a US expert on design and human interaction.
Professor Frank Becker from Cornell University’s Department of Design and Environmental Analysis told a forum of health professionals and designers that corridors and tea rooms have a huge influence on professional communication.
Although he primarily focused on hospital design, Professor Becker said well designed ‘backstage’ spaces have the potential to break down social hierarchies throughout the health system.
“These backstage and neutral spaces are functional areas,” he said. “They are not just luxury amenities that are easily deleted.”
Professor Becker stressed the need to pay more attention to the design of the areas where staff members interact with each other and relax.
“People don’t share information and collaborate professionally if they don’t interact socially,” he said.
“And these things carry over to the quality of care. The level of teamwork and communication has a huge effect on patient outcomes.”
Professor Becker also said that decentralised workspaces for nurses could hamper effective communication.
Along with a team of researchers he conducted a long-term observation of an American intensive care unit that adopted a ‘pod’ model in a $23 million renovation project.
They found that the nurses in the unit felt that teamwork decreased and stressed increased after the physical overhaul.
“There was much more physical isolation and separation which meant they were not able to interact with each other as much as they did before,” said Professor Becker.
“This was not even considered in the design process because it was assumed that the pods would bring the nurses closer to their patients and they would not have to walk so much.”
